Nursing bottle support



Oct 1953 LA VERNE B. LATHROP 2,654,556

NURSING BOTTLE SUPPORT Filed Aug. 31, 1949 Patented Oct. 6, 1 9 53 UNI TED STATE-5S NURSING BOTTLE SUPPORT .zLa verne- BzLathrop, Dundea-Ill. .Application August'31, 1949;SerialNo. 1133462 This invention relates to a nursing bottle support and more particularly tov means for supporting aa nursing bottle in a position accessible to the baby when sitting in a cha-ir,'-etc.;and .permitt-ing the baby to grasp and pull the same.

.It is well-known that a baby-when drinking from anursing bottle tends tozpull the bottle for the most part toward him-and in any event is constantly moving the bottle. ..In providing-a support for the bottle there is a problem in that if the bottle is'drawn to' a'position too close to the baby, the nipple willistrike the babyawhen. heis .not drinkingfrom' the bottle andwill tend to discharge drops .of. milk or .:cther liquid from the .bottle upon .the baby .-.and his clothing.

An object of the present invention is to provide a sturdy support for a nursing bottle which maintains the bottle in a desired position relative to the baby while permitting the bottle to be drawn by the baby toward him and at the same time retracting the bottle slightly when the baby has released the bottle. Yet another object is to provide a support of simple structure which may be firmly secured to a baby chair or table so that when the baby is sitting up the bottle is supported at a convenient position so that he can feed himself. A still further object is to provide an adjustable nursing bottle support through the use of a coil of wire which tightens about the bottle to grip it as the bottle is drawn toward the baby while withdrawing the bottle slightly from the infant when the same is released by the baby. Other specific objects and advantages will appear as the specification proceeds.

The invention is illustrated in a single embodiment by the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a side view in elevation of a nursing bottle support embodying my invention; Fig. 2, a perspective view of the coil spring and connecting means for securing the same upon the standard of the support, the parts being shown in separated relation; Fig. 3, a broken enlarged view in elevation of the nursing bottle carried by the support standard; and Fig. 4, a broken top plan view, the bottle being moved to bring the neck thereof uppermost and in a vertical plane.

In the illustration given, I designates a suction cup equipped with a sleeve I I which receives a standard I2. The standard I2, in the illustra tion given, is provided with a flat upper portion i3 having a longitudinal slot I4 therein.

Supported upon the upper portion of the standard I2 is a spring I 5 having a central coiled portion I6 adapted to receive a nursing bottle H. The bottle may be provided with the usual neck 2 Claims. (01. 248-405) ATE-NT OFFICE ,2 portion island-bead: l 9,: and'anipple. 'ZKJJmay be received about the bead I'd.

'Ihe2spring: coilzmember I. 5: is .providedwitlr a forwardlyeextendingportiom 2 I. terminating. u shapedclamp. portion 22. W'hile'the portion 22 .xmay; if: desired, the in the iorm:.of.:a:-:ring-ifor engaging the ."bottle" neck: I3, Izprefer' to have this portion substantially. U =shaped and with an open upper: endzto fa cilitate'the insertion of. the bottle neck therein.

The inner portion of the spring coil I5 termihates-1 inL-a -l0op23 adapted .to'receive. a :screwzi i which extends through the slot M1101" :standard tS-zand en ages at its-outerend: a wing nut-25. Awasher 25 be interposed between thespring loop 23 and the head 2'5 of screw 24. A washer 28 may be interposed between the spring loop 23 and the flattened standard portion I3, as shown more clearly in Fig. 4. Similarly a washer 29 may be interposed between the wing nut 25 and the standard portion I3.

Operation In the operation of the device, the suction cup I0 which may be formed of rubber or other resilient material is pressed downwardly to flatten the same upon the tray of a nursery chair or upon the table or other surface adjacent the baby. The wing nut 25 is loosened so as to move the screw 24 and the spring I5 carried thereby to a desired height on the support portion I3. The bottle provided with the nipple may be inserted through the coils I6 and the neck portion of the bottle is pressed within the U-shaped clamping portion 22 of the spring I5. The wing nut is tightened when the bottle is supported at the desired height and preferably at a portion where the nipple is slightly away from the baby but within his easy reach. As the baby drinks from the bottle, he usually grasps the bottle and draws it toward him. The spring support shown permits the downward movement of the bottle and in fact movement to any desired angle while at the same time the coils of the spring then tighten around the bottle and thus prevent its dislodgment. Upon release of the bottle by the baby, the spring coil brings the bottle slightly away from the baby so that it does not rub against the baby or his clothes when the baby is moving in his chair, etc. In addition to the yielding support provided by the coil support I5, the suction cup In permits a slight yielding while the'baby is moving the bottle but quickly restores the bottle to its desired position when the bottle or spring 15 of standard [2 is released by the baby.

The U-shaped end 22 of the spring may be bent or otherwise formed to fit either the large neck bottle or the small neck type, as desired.

While in the foregoing specification, I have set forth a specific structure in considerable detail for the purpose of illustrating an embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that such details of structure may be varied widely by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

1. In a nursing bottle support, a suction cup having projecting upwardly from the top surface thereof an integrally formed flexible collar, a standard secured to the upper end of said collar so as to be supported thereby normally perpendicular to the surface receiving said suction cup, said collar being adapted to permit said standard to be displaced from said normally perpendicular alignment during the use of said support, whereby said standard can yield to follow the movements of the baby during nursing while returning to its normal position after the baby has ceased exerting a force thereon, and a spring equipped with spaced coils adapted to receive a nursing bottle and having its inner end provided with a loop secured to said standard by adjustable clamping means extending through said loop.

2. A nursing bottle support adapted to follow the movements of a baby during the feeding thereof while also being operable to restore the supported bottle to a predetermined position upon release of the bottle by the baby, comprising a suction cup equipped with a flexible and resilient collar normally perpendicular to a surface receiving the suction cup while being yieldable to follow the babys movements, a standard carried by said collar in substantial axial alignment therewith, said standard having a slotted upper portion, a spring member having a plurality of coils adapted to receive the body of a nursing bottle and having a, forwardly-extending portion terminating in a U-shaped clamp engageable with the neck of a nursing bottle, said spring member being provided at its opposite end with a ring, and an adjustable clamping means having portions extending through said ring and slot for adjustably supporting said spring upon said standard.

LA VERNE B. LATHROP.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 505,060 Mills Sept. 12, 1893 1,006,315 Toth Oct. 17, 1911 1,016,323 Dixon Feb. 6, 1912 1,146,275 Pierce July 13, 1915 1,322,656 Treadwell et a1. Nov. 25, 1919 2,261,604 Seitz Nov. 4, 1941 2,280,940 Wightman Apr. 28, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 66,209 Switzerland Oct. 6, 1913 164,397 Switzerland Dec. 1, 1933 370,268 Great Britain Apr. 7, 1932 

